Looking forward to a great trip! Remember to pack layers, good walking shoes, passport, a positive attitude, and an open mind to learning. We ‘re about to visit an amazing city!...
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Experiencing Art
This 2015 Intensive Learning year our artsy group will be traveling to local destinations to create ephemeral art that relates to the environment in which we are standing–from improv and street art to using trees to draw. Our three trips will include Philadelphia, Pakum Pond in the Pine Barrens and the beaches in Ocean...
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Getting ready for another year…
The metal has been ordered, and 15 students are ready to try their hands at creating metal tools, works of art, etc. on the coal forges at the Harriton House....
Continue readingBlacksmithing: Breakfast and Rockets
Day Five-and-a-half We started the morning with Cole’s pancakes. We completed and fixed up the rockets from the first grade classes. We spent the last hour of the day with the first graders helping them to launch their rockets. The week went wonderfully. Thank you to all of the students for their positive, can-do...
Continue readingBlacksmithing: More Metal, More Wood
Day Five We spent our last day at the Harriton House completing projects. Some students finished turning wooden handles for their work while others finished bracelets, canes, etc. Justin Brandon joined us for part of the morning and tried his hand at making a hook. When we returned to MFS for sports, we helped...
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Thank you!
As we settle back into our lives in New Jersey and look back at the past week, we would like to offer a very special thank you to our wonderful host families from Costa Rica. They welcomed us into their homes and families. They showed us how to dance, fed us well and definitely stole...
Continue readingHabitat for Humanity: Finishing touches @ ReStore
Today was the last day of our Intensive Learning experience at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Today we put the finishing touches on helping them move to their new location. We demolished some walls, shredded (again), removed letters from a door and did some final packing. While this was going on, there was a...
Continue readingAnd in the end … here comes the sun!
A discussion of aggression, a personality inventory, a list of possible college courses for prison populations, and chocolate chip pancakes were followed by an assessment of learning over the course of the week. Bon appetit!...
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Reflections on New Mexico
This morning we sat outside at the foot of a volcanic escarpment and wrote about the journey we have taken together over the last week. Here are some excerpts: The following day was probably my favorite. This day we hiked down 800 feet to the bottom of the Rio Grande Gorge. That was one...
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New Mexico: Touring Puye Cliff Dwellings and Los Alamos
Day Three We started another amazing day in New Mexico with a bus ride up to the Puye Cliffs. Despite stopping at the wrong visitor center, we eventually made our way to the cliffs. Alex, our tour guide, taught us about the types of minerals the Santa Clara Pueblo people used to construct their...
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Exploring Art: Barren Reflections
Today our Exploring Art group spent our time in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. After we arrived in the Pine Barrens and had a quick tour of the lake, students began working on their individual or group projects. Regardless of the 30 degree weather, we were able to get a lot of unique...
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Improv with Issues: Racism and Body Image
Day Five Today we discussed the overt and subtle forms of racism that exist in society and in our school community. We specifically discussed the roles of aggressors and bystanders, and we focused on “jokes” and how they can have impact beyond their intentions. We used “sculpting” to create a scene dealing with one...
Continue readingThe Pen and the Penitentiary
Today Professor Michele Tarter spoke to us about her work with her “wisewomen,” inmates in a women’s maximum security prison in Clinton, NJ. Dr. Tarter brought a sample of the women’s memoirs, called The Pen and the Penitentiary; the writing was memorable and heart-wrenching. The art work was evocative as was the presentation, which...
Continue readingMulticultural Philly: National Museum of American Jewish History
Day Four Today we went to the National Museum of American Jewish History. It was a self-guided tour through the many years of Jewish history in America. Their special exhibit was about Jewish baseball players and how they had a lasting affect on America’s game. We had a great time enriching our knowledge about...
Continue readingGardening @ Habitat
Today, in our fifth day of Habitat for Humanity, we went to the Perkins Center of the Arts and helped them build raised planting beds for their garden. We built the frames out of 2 by 8s and filled them using dirt from a large pile that the Perkins Center had delivered last Friday....
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